Bear Update #2 - 8 Months Old, Doggy DayCare & His First Operation

Though I feel like I talk about our puppy Bear on my blog A LOT, it's been quite a while since I last shared a proper update. We brought him home in April and a month later I shared how he was getting on, his first experience at puppy club and more, so now he's just turned 8 months old, I thought it was about time for another as quite a bit has changed!

8 Months Old?!

HOW? Seriously how is my baby nearly 1? Okay I know it's a few months away but before we know it his first birthday will be here and I'm already close to tears about it. I just can't get over that this little man was something I'd dreamed about and hoped for, for such a long time and now he's been ours for months and is growing so quickly. I can totally see why when people have one child, they end up having another then another then another because I already keep thinking about when we'll be giving Bear another little pup to play with. Sometimes I don't realise that we've reached the end of a certain stage until it's gone and I'm never prepared for it. When we first brought him home, for weeks and weeks he would curl up on my chest and sleep, and he also used to love laying on my shoulders but then one day he just grew out of that and I still get sad when I think about it. I wish I'd known how quickly it would go because I'd have savoured those moments even more. He's honestly changing so fast and I already feel like we're out of that small pup phase 😭

Our First Family Holiday

I won't talk about this too much because I did a full blog post about it which you can find here but I had to briefly mention we had our first family holiday this Summer. He was only just about to turn 5 months old when we went so we had no idea what we'd let ourselves in for and how it would go but he was surprisingly well behaved. Let's just not talk about the time he ran for his life on Scarborough beach and we genuinely nearly lost him. There's video footage of that on his instagram if you want a laugh. He did have the time of his life though, his two fave uncles were there aswell and he had all the attention the whole weekend. We ate a lot of ice cream, visited Whitby/Scarborough/Bridlington and just enjoyed ourselves more than we could have predicted.

Goodbye Puppy Club, Hello Doggy Daycare

I mentioned in the last update that we had just started taking Bear to puppy club, and it was one of the best things we could have done for him. Puppies were only allowed until they reached 5 months so he had his last session before the holiday and we were all sad to say goodbye. Each session he got to interact with a variety of different dogs and we learnt so much from it. I couldn't recommend finding a local puppy club enough if you're thinking of getting a dog. After puppy club ending and our holiday, he had his assessment at a local doggy daycare centre and he smashed it! He only goes once a week but that 1/2 a day does all of us the world of good. I love Bear to bits but it's not like everyday is perfect, sometimes he does drive me up the wall as I'm sure I do him aswell, and those few hours gives me the time to actually clean the flat (something I had no idea would be so hard with a dog), pop to the shops or if George is free, we can use that time to go to the cinema or go for a meal. We don't really have anyone around to help us out with Bear, and whilst we totally knew that was going to be the case before we got him, sometimes time just us two is so needed and having somewhere like a daycare centre means we can be us again for a little while. He has the BEST time there too. He's got a good group of buddies, including two bulldogs who I'm sure he thinks are the same size as him, and the people that work there love the dogs like their own.

His First Operation

Last month Bear had his first operation which was not fun for any of us, but he's recovered well and now back to his normal self. We thought getting him neutered as early as was allowed would be best as it means it's not something we have to dread or put him through when he's older and he was a little star. He recovered quickly, though was not a fan of the cone of shame at all, and within two weeks he was back at daycare, and running circles around us again. It certainly wasn't fun leaving him at the vets for the day and it's definitely not something I want to repeat again but at least now it's all over and done with!

I think that's pretty much everything to update you on. He's still the best puppy ever, and we love him more and more each day. He's not great at sleeping in his crate anymore which isn't ideal but we're working on it, he loves human food more than life itself and he is still the friendliest little thing. I couldn't imagine life without him now.

Similar - 5 things I've learnt since getting a puppy

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& Juliet At The Manchester Opera House Review*

Some bloggers earn amazing amounts of money through their blog, some work with the biggest beauty brands in the world, and some just plod along doing okay, doing their thing and just seeing what comes their way like me. And I'm totally okay with that. But recently I've had a few opportunities which have honestly made my year. I'm not afraid to say that the first half of 2019 was quiet blog-wise, but because we'd just got our puppy Bear, I kind of didn't have time to go chasing opportunities so I reached a point where I was okay with it maybe just being a hobby again. Something seemed to change towards the end of Summer though and I'm so grateful for it because it's only made me even more motivated and made me realise how passionate I am about this blog. One of the amazing opportunities I was approached with recently was to be invited to go and see the new musical & Juliet at the Manchester Opera House, and as I'm sure you can imagine, being the huge theatre fan I am, I jumped at the chance! To some it might not seem like a huge deal, but to me, it's something I can be so so proud of and look back on one day and smile.

I've seen quite the variety of musicals now from Wicked to Kinky Boots, Hamilton to Heathers and most recently Come From Away and Waitress, but none of those are exactly BRAND NEW/never been done anywhere else before so with & Juliet I had very little idea what I was going to see. In case you haven't heard of & Juliet, let me tell you a little bit about it before I get onto my thoughts of the show though. 

'The most famous love story of all time. Remixed. What if Juliet's famous ending was really just her beginning? What if she decided to choose her own fate? Join Juliet on this sensational journey of self-discovery and second chances, told through some of the most glittering pop anthems of the last three decades. & Juliet is the hilariously irreverent new musical that proves when it comes to love, there's always life after Romeo.'

The first thing I have to talk about with this show is the cast. They are INSANE. As soon as Oliver Tompsett arrives on stage as William Shakespeare you feel his presence and he starts the show with a bang with 'Larger Than Life' by the Backstreet Boys. Yep, there's a lot of Backstreet Boys music in this and I AM HERE FOR IT. Not keen on the idea of Juliet giving up her whole life for Romeo, William's wife, Anne Hathaway played by Cassidy Janson who puts on a stellar performance throughout, arrives next and comes up with a new plot, what about if Juliet lived? From here we meet Juliet played by the AMAZING Miriam-Teak-Lee who steals each scene she's in and we see what her life might have gone on to become without Romeo in the picture. It's hard to really explain much else about the show without totally spoiling it, but it's a show everyone needs to see for themselves. Aswell as these 3 cast members, there's also David Bedella, Arun Blair-Mangat, Jordan Luke Gage, Melanie La Barrie and Tim Mahendran who all deserve a mention, but really the whole ensemble are outstanding. I was in awe of every person on the stage who clearly all adore the show and are so passionate about the story.

I've already briefly mentioned the music but this musical actually features many modern hits from Max Martin, I couldn't believe how many had been written by the same person! Domino by Jessie J, Overprotected by Britney Spears, Confident by Demi Lovato, Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, It's My Life by Bon Jovi and That's The Way It Is by Celine Dion, though there are of course loads more I could mention. I had no idea how these songs would make their way into the story but they do and it works! It's a classic jukebox musical but not overly cheesy. It's taken a story we've all heard a million times and added a really unique twist.

I also have to add the staging and choreography really make this show stand out too. The choreography was flawless, each member of the cast getting their chance to shine and no-one being overshadowed, and at times it really felt like a concert. Whilst the staging might not be the most complicated, the costumes and effects are some of the best I've seen in a show - the lighting, the double revolve, everything about it comes together to form one incredible show.

I honestly had the best night seeing & Juliet and I can't wait for it to arrive in London. I'm already just waiting for when I can book tickets, and I hope it's a show that runs and runs in the West End. I can see it being the next Kinky Boots, a fun filled show that leaves you feeling on such a high by the end that you can't help but keep going back. So many people have already made repeat visits and if I lived closer, I would have done the same. The soundtrack drops on November 20th so if you want a listen of all the songs included, keep an eye out for that, and the show is playing from the 2nd of November at the Shaftesbury Theatre if you want to see it for yourself which I really recommend you do. It's pure joy!

Have you got any musicals lined up? Do you think & Juliet is a show you'd enjoy?

*Gifted tickets but all views are my own

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My Slow Cooker Potato & Chickpea Curry Recipe

It's time for another recipe and this week I'm sharing how I make my slow cooker potato and chickpea curry. As it's a slow cooker meal, I'm sure you can guess it's a pretty easy, throw it all in meal but I thought I'd still share in case you're a fan of a good curry. I mentioned in my autumn blog post last week that I come alive in the kitchen in the colder months so that's why I've been sharing so many recipes recently and why there might be a few more to come over the next few weeks!

Ingredients: 2-4 people

2 large baking potatoes

1 onion, finely diced

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of water

2 crushed garlic

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

A sprinkle of ginger powder

1 tin of drained chickpeas

Salt & pepper

Method:

1. First of all, peel your potatoes and chop into cubes, then chuck into the slow cooker

2. Add in your finely diced onion, along with your tin of chopped tomatoes. I then refill the tin with water and pour that in too

3. You can then add in your spices. So, I use curry powder, ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and salt and pepper

4. Give it all a thorough mix and then leave on high for at least 4 hours

5. After 3 hours, add in your drained chickpeas, stir and leave for the final hour

6. When the curry is almost done, prepare your rice. I added in 1 tsp of turmeric to the rice while it was cooking too. It doesn't affect the taste I find but it gives it the stunning yellow colour

7. Serve your curry and rice, and leave any leftovers to cool before popping in the fridge

I've put that this recipe is for 2-4 people because obviously I only make it for George and I but there were enough leftovers for us both the next day so it's definitely one that could stretch to 4 people for one meal. I love having leftovers in the fridge though as it always makes a quick and easy lunch! 

This is a great choice if you're trying to cut back on meat which we are where we can, but because of the potato and chickpeas, it's still incredibly filling. Let me know if you give this a go, I'd love to know what you think!

Recipes - Autumnal chicken pie // Pizza pasta bake // Perfect roast potatoes

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Truth Hurts by Rebecca Reid Book Review*

I seem to be flying through thrillers at the moment! And surprisingly they've all been pretty excellent, which has just made me want to keep picking more and more up. Not good for the bank balance but I just can't resist sometimes. It's been a little while since my last book review - The Rumour by Lesley Kara so I really wanted to share my thoughts on Truth Hurts by Rebecca Reid.

'Poppy has a secret. It was a whirlwind romance. And when Drew, caught up in the moment, suggests that he and Poppy don't tell each other anything about their past lives, that they live only for the here and now, for the future they are building together, Poppy jumps at the chance for a fresh start. But it doesn't take long for Poppy to see that this is a two-way deal. Drew is hiding something from her. And Poppy suddenly has no idea who the man she has married really is, what he is hiding from her or what he might be capable of. Drew says he has nothing to hide. Drew is lying.'

My review

Truth Hurts has ended up being one of my biggest surprises of 2019 so far book-wise. As I said at the start of this post, I've read many, many, MANY thrillers this year so sometimes they can all sort of blur into one and it takes a lot for one to stand out but this has done more than that. And to be totally honest, I went into this not expecting a great deal. Like I said, a thriller has to be something really special now for me to think WOW but that just shows I wrong I was about this.

Right at the start of the book, we meet Poppy, a nanny for a fairly rich family, on holiday in Ibiza with them. After a few tense words with the mother after coming home late, Poppy is fired and thrown out on the street. With nowhere to go, she ends up in a random bar contemplating her next move, and then Drew turns up. He's a few years older than her, clearly well off and he's interested. It doesn't take long for Poppy to feel like her luck has turned and for them to fall in love. Soon after, Drew proposes...but there's a condition. They never talk about their past. Sounds suspicious? Well I'm sure this is when most people would call things off or at least have a discussion about it but Poppy with secrets of her own, says yes. After a few months of wedded bliss, things start to unravel though. Drew's friends make comments that Poppy doesn't understand, her best friend Gina doesn't trust Drew and Poppy is just desperate for a real family for once. It all starts to get a bit real and Poppy realises she might have let herself in for more than she bargained for. 

Whilst this isn't a book full of twists and it's not BAM, BAM, BAM, one thing after the other, it had just the right amount of suspense I think. There were little drabs of information dropped in now and again that made you question Drew and even Poppy at times and those little seeds were enough to keep you turning that page each time. We also occasionally go back in time to when Poppy used to nanny for another family, people she clearly doesn't want to talk about but why? And I liked that it took right up until the final chapter to really put everything together. I think Rebecca has written this in such a clever way because even though loads doesn't happen for quite a while, once you're invested, you just can't stop reading.

I don't want to give any spoilers away, I worry I've already dropped too many hints, but the ending is a shocker. I genuinely think I sat there speechless for a good while afterwards. It made me re-think EVERYTHING! I realised I didn't know some of the characters aswell as I thought I did and I could never have guessed what was going to come. I'm so impressed and I can't wait to read more from Rebecca in future!

Have you read Truth Hurts? Have you got a thriller you recommend?

Book reviews - Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich // Gone by Leona Deakin

*I was provided with a copy for the purpose of this review

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